Troubled Nerves
by redFox501
Summary: Shinkei Haruki is just trying to make his way in the messed-up world of Japanese Heroics. Hoping to find a way to better himself and his volatile electricity-based quirk, he enrolls in Japan's most famous hero program at UA. Unkown to Haruki, this decision will end up changing his life in more ways than he could imagine, especially when things take a dark turn for the hopeful teen.


**Author's Note: Yes yes, I know it's been a while. Quite a while. Since 2017 to be exact, the beginning of my sophomore year. I'm now a senior in high school, halfway through the year in fact, and I've recently decided to pick up writing again. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I appreciate the support I got on my other two stories and I would also like to thank those of you that are tuning in for the first time. I hope you find something you enjoy here!**

**As you can tell, this will be my first attempt at a My Hero Academia fan-fic, and it is here that we will follow the adventures of Shinkei (last name) Haruki (first name). Hopefully, you all enjoy my attempt at making him an interesting character and giving him an interesting story to tell. Hope ya enjoy!**

**P.S- By the way, I wrote this chapter while listening to the OST Tag from The Promised Neverland and I find that it fits quite well, the first part at least. The battle scenes might sound better with 'Stop them with Full Power', and 'Nevertheless, Go Beyond' works for the last scene. Both from the anime. Anyway, don't own those or MHA, nor do I claim to.**

…

Troubled Nerves: Chapter 1

Bio-Electricity

…

/Shinkei Haruki\\\

_'Geez, to think the practical would be like a video game... not what I expected of UA.'_

A young teen stood among an amalgamation of examinees, white, yellow-tipped, messy hair gleamed and waved in the mid-day sunlight. In his hand he nursed a canteen of coffee, it's rich aroma helped bring him some alertness while his dull, attentive, amber eyes scanned the buzzing crowd that surrounded him. Blinking, he rubbed at his eyes as he tried to remain focused, feeling the bags beneath them seemingly betray him at that moment.

He actually felt quite overwhelmed in all honesty. A loner by trade, he wasn't used to the excitement and bustling energy that now practically washed over him. Not to mention the vague nervousness that hovered in the air was also particularly distracting. This hampered his original goal for their allotted prep time somewhat, he couldn't properly focus enough to survey the competition. Not all of them anyway.

_'I only have a small amount of preparation time and there are way too many people here. What a pain… I guess I should focus on those that stand out the most_?'

Letting out a sigh, he began surveying the crowd. The only few that caught Haruki's eye were a pink-skinned girl with horns, a guy that had tape-dispensers for elbows, another girl with what seemed like vines for hai_\- 'wait, is she praying? Odd way to prep but hey whatever works I guess.'_ Shaking his head, he continued scanning the crowd but couldn't find anyone else nearly quite as noticeable as those three.

As for why he was so interested in those surrounding him, they were his competition. The people he would have to outperform if he were to accomplish his goal. His dream stood on the precipice of death, and he wouldn't, no, couldn't allow that to happen.

Haruki frowned to himself, such was the cut-throat world of heroics after all, and it's not like he wanted to ruin anyone's dreams, but he intended to be a hero. Being accepted into the prestigious hero school of UA would be his first step towards that very goal, and to accomplish that he would have to meet a ridiculously high threshold of skill and mastery of his quirk to even be considered as sufficient. He had to be better. Better than the rest. Better than _them._

_'Maybe I shouldn't be thinking so clinically. Some of these people might be my classmates, perhaps even future colleagues.' _He cringed at his own crudeness, but his eyes once more shifted to the competition surrounding him and he narrowed his eyes.

_'Assuming I can get accepted anyway... this place is crazy competitive. I mean, how many people are going into this arena with me? It's gotta be fifty at the least... well all I have to do is get enough points to pass but still, there are so many people here... can I even hope to compete? With a quirk still as fragile as mine...'_

_'Nope!'_ He grit his teeth and clenched his fists. '_I've worked so hard to even get to this point, to even have the privilege to stand here. My quirk was basically useless before, but with all that training it's something I can pride myself on now. My Bio-Elec– ack–' _his thoughts were interrupted by a delicate tap on his shoulder. Startled, the teen jumped away, tennis-shoes skidding along the concrete surface and canteen flying into the air, he scrambled to catch the container that contained his lifeblood. '_Oh no no no please not the coffee! Please don't spill!'_

Reaching out to grab it, as it seemingly fell in slow motion with its contents slowly pouring out as it listed in the air, Haruki jumped upward and was able to hit it upright with the back of his left hand before he grabbed it with his right. _'Huh, didn't need my quirk this time, maybe my reaction time is getting better?' _Immediately the worried teen clutched the precious device to his chest and screwed the cap back on, and placed it back on his belt. He took a breath to steady himself, but couldn't help the redness that had spread across his face. He quickly fastened his slightly irritated gaze onto the intruder of his personal space, only to recognize the girl in front of him.

"Wow, that sure was something, nice moves dude," the girl laughed while giving him a thumbs up. "Ya' know if you keep glaring like that, your face is gonna end up getting stuck!" The pink girl he had noticed earlier leaned closer, clad in a purple track-suit, sporting a Cheshire grin. Her golden irises and black, void-like sclera contrasted violently against her rosy-tinted skin, but not in a negative way. They shimmered brightly in the sunlight, exhibiting boundless energy and mild curiosity.

_'Ah, well those are different, and is it just me or is she really close. Like really, __**really**_ _close.'_

"Hm? You good their man? You're kind of just staring off into space..." she let out a nervous laugh. She now appeared sheepish, rubbing the back of her neck, but still keeping that wide, Cheshire grin firmly in place. Blinking, Haruki took a step back, shook his head and shirked his gaze to the ground, pulling his purple scarf up in a poor attempt to obscure his embarrassment from staring too long.

"Ah! My apologies, it wasn't my intention to stare or offend," taking a moment to recompose himself, Haruki raised his head. His dull amber meeting her energetic gold, she stood a few centimeters shorter than him so he had to angle his gaze to match hers. Letting a nervous chuckle escape his lips, he continued, "I was just deep in thought is all, my nerves are getting the better of me I guess."

_'Which is not entirely untrue...'_

The girl nodded, and let a small noise of agreement pass through her lips. Before dropping her sheepish demeanor and returning to her original aura of confidence, quickly waving her arms in a dismissive manner, "No no, don't worry about it! I totally get it, tensions are a bit high right now anyway, with this whole _'make it or break it' _practical and all." Stressing that one phrase through the use of air quotes while looking at all the other examinees, her grin returning as she snickered.

"Yeah… uh-"

Musing to herself, while also cutting him off, _'Ok then guess I'm waiting' _she continued, "To be honest with you though, I wasn't expecting so many people. Competition is definitely fierce, but then again, it's UA we're talking about here."

Haruki nodded lamely in response still genuinely confused as to why this girl was talking to him and how she could stay so relaxed with the situation. "Right uh... one of the best, only ever accepting the cream of the crop! Which begs the question," he ran his hand through his messy hair in despair. "Why am _I_ here then?" He'd muttered that last part into his scarf of course.

"Hm? What was that last bit? I didn't quite catch it." She twirled around to face him with ease, her wavy hair fluttered from the simple motion.

Startled by the fact that she'd caught him berating himself, Haruki's mind raced with almost a thousand answers to her rather simple question. _'__Shit, well she wasn't supposed to hear that. Quickly brain, think of and answer before we end up looking like idio–'_

"Uh, who are you?"

_'...you are a failure. An overwhelming disappointment. Forever a stain on–'_

Realization flashed across her face as she listened, "Oh! I haven't even introduced myself, my bad man."

'_Wait that worked?' _

Her hand reached out for a handshake and a kind smile graced her soft features, her voice exuding warmth as she continued. "The name's Ashido, Ashido Mina, a pleasure to meet ya!"

Behind his scarf, Haruki couldn't help but return the smile. _'__Maybe this isn't so bad after all. Even if I don't get accepted at least I found some pleasant company before I royally screw up my life and dreams.' _He let out a small chuckle at his own expense, and took her extended hand in a firm handshake, taking extra care not to let any passive effect of his quirk flare-up.

"Uh, don't worry about it either, it's like you said. Stressful situation, easy to forget and all that. Shinkei Haruki, it's... nice to meet you too Ashido-san," he responded, letting go of her hand and lowering his scarf in order to actually show off a smile, albeit a small one, to the cheerful girl.

She smiled broadly in response, "Mission accomplished!" Ashido then threw her arms up into the air in celebration, startling Haruki in the process and confusing him even further.

"H-huh? Mission? What mission?" he stared at his new acquaintance incredulously as he raised his brow. '_Is… is she insane? This can't possibly be normal...'_

Ashido returned his look in kind, "Why to make you smile of course ya doof, you honestly looked so angry or sad or upset or... well it was something bad! So I decided to talk to ya!" She huffed, almost as if she was attempting to blow away the details and complexities of her actions.

'_Ouch, talk about brutally honest.'_ She wasn't incorrect with her assessment however, Haruki did have some rather complicated confidence issues, he couldn't deny it. Typically he was able to hide this quite easily with a weak smile and a dismissive wave so not many were able to actually recognize them. To be read so easily by this girl however... he found it to be slightly unnerving.

Her smile and bright expression quickly returned to her face however, laced with a surprising amount of tenderness and concern. "It always helps to have someone to talk to, especially at times like these. Admittedly I've been doing a lot of the talking but... don't you feel a bit better now at least?"

"I-uh," floundering for a response, Haruki willed his mind to find an answer to that unexpected question. '_Geez, how can someone I barely know seemingly care this much... she's so bright.'_ Thinking on it though, he actually felt a bit less stressed. Significantly to be rather honest. Ashido had an easy-going, bright demeanor that would certainly help her in the future as a hero. If today went well for her at least.

And Haruki had totally been immersed within that aura. He'd fallen for her well-intentioned ploy, hook, line, and sinker. He had to give her props, he hadn't realized it until now but... she'd definitely helped.

"Now that you mention it... yeah, I guess I do." A genuine smile tugged at his face once more. He turned his attention back to Ashido, who'd been patiently awaiting his answer with her ever-present smile, her body was leaning forward and her slightly cocked head indicated the genuine care and interest she had for his answer.

_'OK, she can't actually keep doing stuff like this. It's too pure.'_

"So thank you Ashido, I appreci-"

Suddenly the gargantuan doors that blocked entry to the testing site flung themselves open with a resounding crash as the metal grated against the concrete, and the Voice Hero: Present Mic's high, shrill voice was broadcasted across the plaza, "**AND... BEGIN!**"

Silence followed. No one moved a muscle. '_Wait, what?'_

"**WHAT'S WRONG? THE TEST'S STARTED! RUN! RUN!**"

Haruki blinked, and quickly turned to look into the site, lowering himself into a sprinter's stance as he shot Ashido a sidelong glance. His face was scrunched up in annoyance, "I was trying to say thanks. Uh-"

"**THE DIE IS CAST! YOUR DESTINIES ARE IN YOUR HANDS LISTENERS**"

'_I swear, Present Mic if you won't let me finish this damn conversati- aaaannnd everyone's gone... shit...'_

Realizing he was already falling behind as the formerly-stunned participants began running into the exam site, Haruki sighed and looked up at the still smiling Ashido with a defeated expression, "We can continue this later, yeah?"

"For sure Shinkei-san! See ya after we ace this thing!" She nodded vigorously before sprinting into the testing site. Leaving Haruki still in his stance.

'_Well at least I have that to look forward to._'

Alone.

'_WAIT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE GOING TOO!'_

Haruki took a deep breath, '_Stay calm, you can do this. You trained for this. You're ready._'

He closed his amber eyes and focused on the familiar buzzing sensation that always resounded deep within his mind. Imagining it, he gave it an appearance almost like that of a bright, blue-ribbon flapping in a strong wind. This was the core of his quirk. All he had to do was reach out and grab it.

Grasping for the end of the ribbon, Haruki felt it brush his metaphorical 'hand' and grabbed hold of the core. '_Ah, there we go._'

Naturally, his focus seemed to reach its upper limit. He felt his hair rise, his veins now experienced a vague burning sensation as they began to shine a bright ultramarine, and to top it all off he felt, and heard, his electrical field appear around his body. The familiar crackle of his power provided a soothing effect for the anxious teen, and he let out a sigh of relief. '_Yeah! Now we're talking!'_

Haruki felt his spirit soar and scarf flutter in the wind behind him as he embraced his power, hardly comprehending how far he had come. Not that it mattered at the moment. He had an exam to pass, and in that moment, he was more determined than ever to ensure the success of his dream. With that, his eyes snapped open, and he launched forward into a modified sprint after his fellow participants. '_I __**can**__ do this!_'

Grinning madly as he ran down the central street of the testing site, Haruki focused on his Limit, '_Alright, with the coffee and whole night's rest I should be sitting at a solid 100% right now.' _His eyes darted sporadically around his surroundings far beyond any normal human speed, and his modified mind sifted through the visual information as if it were nothing. Noticing a street that branched off from the main one to his left, which appeared empty of aspiring students, he pivoted on his right foot and launched down the new path.

'_I should be fine as long as I don't get hit, if that happens I could lose my concentration on my overall boost and lose it entirely, not to mention there's __**that**__ to consider.'_

Explosions, crashes and other various sound of combat could be heard reverberating throughout the testing site. Unperturbed by the thought that other examinees were already gaining points, Haruki continued through the abandoned streets in front of him. Simply enjoying the fact that he was finally able to go all out and fully embrace his quirk, he wouldn't be holding back here.

His search finally ended however when a large, scorpion-like robot lumbered forward from behind office building. '_Ah, a two-pointer, time to try out that new technique._'

Its sensors must have been quite advanced, for as soon as Haruki had managed to close the distance to around ten meters with his enhanced speed, the Villain-bot had directed its body to face him. As it angled its turret, which resided within the tail, it's metallic joints bent and crouched lower to the ground. Something which didn't go unnoticed by the bio-electric manipulator. His amber eyes shimmered with awareness as he took note.

'_I see, compensating for a weakness maybe? Either way, timing will be everything here._'

It was then that the turret opened fire, and rubber bullets began speeding toward Haruki. Obviously, these wouldn't cause as much harm as a normal bullet, but nevertheless getting hit was an outcome he would like to avoid. Thinking quickly, the teen stopped his direct advance as the bullets impacted the ground in front of him.

In order to not lose the momentum he'd built up, he twisted his body out of the way of the continuous stream of projectiles, and began to run in a circular fashion toward the back of the robot. He felt the rush of air as bullets brushed past his body, the turret seemingly lagging behind ever so slightly.

As Haruki reached the back of the robot, he launched himself to his knees in a sliding maneuver, not having to worry about the turret and it's bullets as its joints didn't quite accommodate the angle needed to fire down upon him. His slide took him beneath the bulk of the bot, allowing him to see what the it had been trying to protect the whole time.

A smorgasbord of circuitry and wires met his gaze as he continued sliding.

'_Hmmmm, those look important._'

He quickly drained his energy from amplifying his body, his senses and ability returned to normal levels. All except for his left hand. Gritting his teeth, Haruki focused the removed energy into his left hand, which now crackled violently with a sharp, ultramarine aura as more energy was focused into it, and drove it into the soft underbelly of the robot.

The electric-blade he had produced cleaved through the circuitry, wires, and even the outer armor like a hot knife through butter as Haruki slid out from beneath the scorpion. With a crash the mechanical construct collapsed. The teen redistributed his energy throughout his body and jumped back to his feet, smiling softly as he launched himself into the fray once more.

'_Yeah... I think I got this._'

Taking notice of a cluster of four one-pointers further on down the street, Haruki jumped into action. His quirk once more flowed throughout his body as he streaked toward the group of robots. As he approached, they appeared to be hovering around what looked like an abandoned parking garage. They quickly turned their attention toward him and began firing rubber bullets from their two arm turrets, albeit at a much slower rate of fire than the two-pointer.

Taking advantage of this weakness, Haruki deftly maneuvered through the hailstorm of rubber-projectiles as he approached his adversaries. He quickly came face to optic with the first of the villain-bots, the robot lurched backward on its large wheel as his speed seemingly surprised it. Thinking quickly, the teen repeated the same process of focusing his energy into his left hand and plunged the blade into the head of the metal-contraption, taking note of how much easier it was to cut through its armor than that of the two-pointer's.

Time wouldn't be given to celebrate however as Haruki could hear the sound of rubber dragging itself across the concrete. Launching himself back from the formerly-active one-pointer, he strafed to the left of the now diminished group of villain-bots and redistributed his charge. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about avoiding their projectiles as they had seemingly been outfitted with a reloading system, most likely in an effort to bring an element of realism to the exam. That and to give those with less speed-related quirks a chance to actually get points.

The charged-teen sped off into the group again, jumping over a wild strike from one of the villains and twisting himself mid-air, Haruki's blade easily tore through the back of the enemy. As he landed from the maneuver however, he came face-to-optic with one of the other one-pointers as it looked to slam him into the ground with both of it's turret-arms.

Eyes widening in surprise, Haruki jumped back as the robots arms slammed into the asphalt of the mock-street with a crash, cracks spread throughout the site of impact and black dust had been shot upward into the air. Noticing the robot was now exposed however, he jumped forward, honed his energy, and cut through the two joints attaching the arms to the main body with a horizontal slash, but he didn't stop there.

Quickly following his first strike, the now-detached arms not having even fallen to the ground, Haruki brought his hand back and impaled the one-pointer through the chest. The robot's internal workings sputtered until it began to collapse. He then heard the grating sound of the last one-pointer drawing up its metal arms from behind him.

'_Shit, I won't be able to get my hand out of this and completely turn in time._'

With a grimace and out of pure desperation, Haruki channeled his charge into his left leg before jumping up and sweeping his leg back in an almost blind attempt to fend off the villain-bot. He felt the now-familiar sensation of cutting through its outer armor as he freed his hand from the collapsing, already deactivated bot in front of him. He heard the last one-pointer recoil before the sound of metal slamming into the asphalt reached his now re-charged ears.

Allowing himself a moment of pride as he dusted himself off, Haruki let a small smile grace his features. '_I... I've really come a long way huh? A few months back and I wouldn't have been able to pull off those kinds of transitions, my training actually paid off. Six points... let's grab some more before my Limit becomes an issue._'

As he sped off into the streets of the testing site once more, the boy brought his attention to his energy levels. '_If I had to take a guess... based on what I'm feeling like right now, I should be sitting at a solid ninety to ninety-five percent. Damn, these transitions are still taking away a large amount of my energy, well I guess it's fine as long as I don't run out before the exam ends._'

Haruki shook his head at the thought, if he ran out of energy he'd practically be useless so he just had to make sure he didn't get hit and managed his energy efficiently. For a moment, it seemed possible, but then he rounded a corner and found himself directly in front of two three-pointers, one in front of the other. And well...

They looked like tanks. '_Oh, that's just great._'

Immediately the turrets mounted on top of the first of the faux villains opened fire, knocking dust from the asphalt into the air as the rubber bullets impacted the ground in front of Haruki. The teen threw himself away from the stream of turret fire. Scrambling on the ground as he picked himself back up into a sprint to the left of his adversary, he made a point to observe the massive cannons mounted on top of the two. '_Huh, that doesn't look very safe._'

Deciding it would be best to question UA's determination to force the best out of future prospects for later, Haruki continued dodging the streams of bullets coming his way. Eventually finishing his mad dash to the side of his enemy unscathed, the teen used his slightly enhanced strength to jump onto one of the legs of the hulking metal machine. Quickly breaking into a run along its upper surface, he transferred his energy and sliced through the joints holding the two smaller rubber-shooting nuisances in place, allowing them to bounce off the top and roll to the ground below.

A celebration wouldn't be allowed quite yet however as this maneuver had allowed the second three-pointer to open fire on the boy, the bullets pinging off the outer armor of its comrade. Noticing the close proximity of the second villain-bot, Haruki once more used his slightly enhance strength to jump across and repeat the process of disarming the robot. Only to realize that the first had now oriented itself, and its massive cannon, toward him.

'_Well... shit..._'

Without a second to lose, the charged-teen jumped off of the faux-villain and ran toward what looked like an apartment complex. When he reached an adequate distance, Haruki jumped onto the wall of the building and using his momentum, began running up the side of the structure.

'_No doubt that thing's gun is still trailing me, so if a move is gonna be made it's gotta be... __**now!**_'

The timing was everything here, but then again with his quirk, everything was about proper timing. So when the cannon of the first faux-villain shot off its payload, Haruki took a chance and jumped backward away from the building, scarf streaming behind him, right as a mass of rubber bullet's impacted the area he once was. The boy then twisted his body mid-air in an effort to right himself.

Haruki simply allowed gravity to take hold at that point while transferring his charge to his left leg as he quickly fell toward the three-pointer. He came crashing into the top of the contraption, sending plates of metal flying into the air while also managing to cut into the core of its body. Frying and destroying key circuitry central to its operation.

The now-deactivated villain-bot slammed into the pavement as Haruki freed himself from the wreckage. He quickly took advantage of the damaged three-pointers need to reload its cannon and clambered atop it, cutting a square into its armor before throwing the detached-plating off. Without its smaller turret-arms, all the bot could do was reside itself to its fate as the teen jammed a bright, ultramarine hand into the circuitry that now lay exposed.

Much like its comrade, the machine soon collapsed as its vitals were torn apart and shredded, and Haruki jumped off with a small smile. Albeit he was breathing heavily. '_That went a lot smoother than expected! Twelve points isn't too bad of a start._'The boy took a moment to readjust his now-dirtied scarf before speeding off once more. Amber eyes shining brightly in the mid-day sunlight.

'_But it's not quite enough. I gotta find more!_'

The voice of Present Mic once more echoed through the exam site, **"SEVEN MINUTES REMAIN!**"

'_Huh? All that and it's only been three minutes? Well, I definitely won't complain, I'm gonna need all the time I can get..._'

Oddly enough, it didn't take the charged-speedster much time to find more chances to increase his score. On his dash through the streets, Haruki had been able to pick off a surprising amount of individual one-pointers and even another two-pointer, bringing his grand score up to a satisfying twenty-one points. This was before he came upon the main plaza of the testing site, where it seemed like the entirety of the rest of the examinees were currently tearing into the imitation-villains there.

Normally Haruki would have taken a moment to survey the quirks and abilities of the people in front of him, but this exam didn't exactly give him the luxury of time. Instead, the boy opted to simply throw himself into the chaos of the high-density area. He took advantage of the mass-confusion of the battlefield as he swiftly moved throughout the area, tearing through one-pointers easily by getting up close and personal. His speed giving him all the advantages in close-combat with the low-class robots, especially when all the other examinees provided some distraction.

_'Twenty-six._' the boy thought as he bisected yet another one-pointer.

Haruki weaved between examinees, careful not to touch any for fear of harming them with the passive effects of his quirk, and via passive observation was able to catch glimpses of other competitors. The plain-looking guy with tape-dispensers for elbows he had noticed early was busy swinging between buildings and wrapping up villain-bots with long strands of tape. A mass of vines was tearing them apart across the plaza as well, he could only assume that was the girl he had seen praying earlier.

Ashido had also made in appearance in his observations, she was busy currently _melting_ through the top of a three-pointer via what he could only guess to be some sort of acid. She was still wearing that joyful smile that she'd had when speaking to Haruki earlier. And based on the many other melted hunks of metal around the plaza...

… she was having a good day.

Haruki didn't have time to see any actual technique of hers however, instead he busied himself with focusing on bots with higher point values. Implementing similar strategies he'd discovered earlier, the white-haired teen outmaneuvered two-pointers while also disarming and dismantling three-pointers. Within the three minutes of his arriving at the plaza, he had done incredibly well for himself, even being able to save a group of three examinees who had been cornered by a three-pointer.

After giving the three-pointer that had cornered the group of teens an uppercut through what he assumed acted like a head, he drew his arm back from the wreckage and wiped the sweat off his brow. Enjoying the smell of the smoldering wrecks around him that signified his recent success.

Haruki smiled softly behind his now soot-covered scarf and thought to himself, '_Forty-four points with seventy percent charge, and I still have three minutes left. Not bad if I do say so myself!_'

Suddenly, a deep, rumbling groan of metal shifting resounded throughout the arena. A hulking monstrosity emerged to overshadow the examinees surrounding it. Haruki found himself almost paralyzed with fear upon laying his eyes on the Zero-pointer, letting his charge slip away.

'_How... how did they even _afford _that!_'

That was until it began to move with an almost deafening screech as its metallic tracks dragged its gargantuan weight over concrete and asphalt. The obstacle it presented was obvious to all that stood before it, and as it raised a lumbering arm, mass panic ensued. An examinee turned and swiftly began running away from the mechanical giant, knocking Haruki to the ground as he shouted over his shoulder, "Screw this! I gotta run and get outta here!"

Others were following his lead as a mob attempted to escape the danger in front of them.

"I've got enough points anyway!"

"Everyone for themselves!"

"I-I'll get more on the way out!"

"Is this even worth it?!"

Haruki could only sit, sprawled out on the ground as he gawked at the massive faux-villain in front of him. As it entered the plaza, it swung its massive arm down on a multi-story apartment building. Sending concrete hurling into the sky and other debris to come raining down on the fleeing examinees.

The teenager's eyes widened in fear, '_How... how could anyone ever stand up to __**that**__, you'd have to be insane! No, plain suicidal!_'

Suddenly he found himself on his feet and running away, falling into the mob mentality that now dominated those around him. Pushing, shoving, kicking, anything people could do to escape, it was pure madness. Insanity.

Haruki noticed a group of seven or so examinees branch off and run into an alley-way on his right, hearing their leader shout something about, "Waiting for it to pass," but the teen didn't stop to hear the rest. He just kept running, panting heavily once more as he could hear the rumble of the Zero-pointer behind him. It almost seemed to be speeding up, causing his heart to pound in his ears and stomach to drop with fright. Until...

Until...

It stopped.

Looking back on the event, Haruki could never pinpoint why he had turned around. He obviously had enough points to pass, so he didn't _need _to. Maybe it was curiosity, instinct, pure stupidity, or some odd combination of the three. All he knew was that what he saw shook him to the core and he knew... just knew that he couldn't keep running away.

Another examinee called out in fearful realization, "W-wait! There are people in there! They'll be c-crushed!"

It had stopped at the alleyway. He reactivated his charge. Suddenly, he was sprinting toward the titan.

Haruki thought of his older sister's words of encouragement as she'd seen him out the door that morning with her usual bright smile and his canteen filled with fresh coffee in her hand. _"Do your best Haruki. I'm sure you'll make a great hero someday, just don't forget one thing." She held a single finger up before continuing, "Being a hero isn't just about the fame, money, or flashy quirks,"_

Haruki closed in on the alleys entrance, the towering figure of the Zero-pointer loomed over the strip of space. Panting heavily as he and some other examinee barely squeezed into the alley in time before the cybernetic monster sealed the entrance with one of its hulking body. The force threw both of them to the ground.

"_It's about being there when it counts. Being able to stand up and face adversity when everyone else wants to run away. It's about being there for someone in need, no matter the cost!"_

Haruki looked up quickly and stared into the piercing, void-like gaze of none other than Ashido. Not having time to chat, or question how she'd managed to catch up to him, the two gave each other a nod, and she flashed him an encouraging smile before proceeding to sprint down the alleyway. It was a thirty-meter run to the back of the alley, where all the trapped examinees cowered. One of which quickly stood and shouted at the approaching pair, "Oi, you two have powerful quirks right? You can stop that thing?!"

Ashido was quick to respond, "Nope! At least I don't, my quirk just lets me melt stuff basically. I just couldn't leave you guys behind is all, body reacted before my mind did I guess," she let out a nervous laugh as her smile finally fell away into a worried look.

'_Shit, even she's worried?_'

Murmurs of discontent spread throughout the group in the back, which quickly fell into panicked screams and shouting as a _gigantic_, metal hand appeared above the group. The boy in front cursed before looking to Haruki, "What about you then, huh? Or did you rush in here just to die with the rest of us too?!"

His face was filled with rage, terror, and grief. Tears streamed from his eyes as he stood their, pleading, no, begging for some type of savior. Haruki gave Ashido a sidelong glance and saw the worry spread across her face as well. Hidden within her eyes was also a yearning for a hero. She had hope, but it was swiftly slipping away. Haruki knew he couldn't deliver but...

He had to try. For them. With a look of pure determination, Haruki lowered his scarf and left it hanging loosely around his neck. Rubble in the form of brick and concrete began to fall upon them from the zero-pointer efficiently scraping away at the buildings that towered above them. Sunlight now streamed into the murky, dimly-lit area. He looked at the group in front of him and opened his mouth to speak with a soft smile.

"Don't worry. We're _all_ going home today."

Suddenly he whipped back around and stared at the Zero-pointer. It had scraped away two stories off of the previous four-story building, and it appeared to be aiming to scrape away one last layer before ending it all. Haruki couldn't help but wonder if the examiners were _sane_.

"Ashido." He said calmly.

Startled, the pinkette took a moment to answer, "Y-yeah, Shinkei?"

"I need you to melt a hole through the back wall there, can you do that for me?" Haruki quickly, but firmly requested. He struggled to keep the smile on his face because no matter how hard he tried, the fear was still there.

Realization dawned on the girl, and she began nodding vigorously while quickly moving to the back wall. Promptly throwing acid on the burgundy brick that caged them, immediately the surface began wearing away due to her quirk. Looking back to the now glowing teen, she opened her mouth to speak with a small amount of trepidation leaking into her voice, "What about you? What are you gonna do?"

More debris fell as the second story was torn away from above them. The Zero-pointer began to raise it's fist above, looking to turn them into red splatters in the pavement Haruki imagined. Not an outcome he could allow to occur.

Looking back at the bewildered, friendly girl, Haruki's smile widened, showing his teeth while at the same time showing the fear he held within. It was a rather shaky smile. Even he could admit that.

"I'm gonna try to stop that thing, buy you guys some time," she looked like she wanted to disagree with his plan but he cut her off, "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you." His smile straightened as he looked back up at the raised fist of the Zero-pointer.

Haruki couldn't see her reaction, but he knew he had at least convinced her when she responded, "A-alright, you better be! Don't do anything stupid!" And with that, he could hear her begin guiding people through the newly-formed access point to the building behind them. Now he could focus on the most idiotic plan he had possibly ever come up with, just as the fist began to fall.

Haruki's quirk allowed him to manipulate energy/electricity that resided within his body, which came with the added bonus of producing significantly more of said energy. Basically, he was a walking generator and appliance. Regardless, usually, this manipulation came in the form of a basic boost to his mental or physical faculties, or at least that's what he had molded it to be. He had only recently discovered how to focus the energy into physical shape, albeit it could only be very basic, the prime example being his "energy blades." Theoretically speaking, if he could use it for offense...

'_Then I should be able to use it for defense too!_' He thought with a wicked smile.

With that, Haruki focused deeply on the charge and distribution of his energy. '_I can't afford to mess this up, people are counting on me! Focus you sad excuse of a damn __**battery!**_' He could feel the push and pull of his energy flowing throughout his body, and he willed it to come together at his hands. All of it.

'_**If I can't do this one thing, save these people, do I really deserve to be a hero!?**_'

Quickly, he clapped the palms of his hands together, both pulsing with and expending ultramarine tendrils of electricity, and with grit teeth, willed the energy to take shape. Above, he could hear the whistle of the Zero-pointer's fist cutting through the air. Suddenly, Haruki felt a burst of pain shoot through his head, equivalent to that of a low-grade migraine, and overwhelming exhaustion envelop his body. The first side-effects of overusing his quirk.

'_**No, I can't stop now!**_'

Focusing further, the energy manipulator felt the formation of a small disc between his palms. With haste, the teen threw his hands into the air and pumped all his energy into the small sliver of solidified electricity. Changing it into that of a two-meter in diameter sphere. The metallic fist was almost on them at this point.

'_**Shit, I need more time!**_'

Willing, no, _begging_ his energy to shift, the pain in his head seemingly increased exponentially as the sphere began to stretch into a disc. Blood began to pour from his nose as he reached the second-stage of overusing his quirk.

'_**I. Can. Do. This!**_'

Haruki shoved the link with his energy one last time, and with relief washing across his now tear and blood-stricken face, watched the disc extend to cover the heads of the leftover examinees, Ashido, and himself. The hot, ultramarine disc glowed brightly above their heads as the Zero-pointer's fist finally collided with it.

An ear-shattering crash sounded out through the arena, and all of Haruki's senses felt as if they were ripped from his skull. All he could feel was white, hot, searing pain exploding throughout his body. All that remained was him, his connection to his quirk, and the pain. After about five seconds, he began to feel the shield falter as the zero-pointer increased pressure in an effort to break him.

'_**NO! I CAN'T FALL NOW, I HAVE TO SAVE THEM! I'LL GIVE IT ALL I GOT!**_'

With little to nothing left within him, all Haruki could do was concentrate the shield. Pull it tighter to itself. He felt it condense, harden in resistance to the overwhelming pressure placed upon it, but with the effort and increase in pressure came more pain. By now he was sure he was screaming, but he couldn't even tell. The pain overwhelmed everything. Every fiber of his being felt as if it was ignited.

"_**I WILL PROTECT THEM!"**_

Feeling the shield crack from continued pressure, the teen was on his hands and knees as he condensed it even further. The shape was cracked, the energy was escaping rapidly, he wouldn't be able to hold it much longer. But he wouldn't give up.

"_**I WILL BE A HERO!"**_

The shield shattered. The pain subsided. Haruki fell to the ground and waited for more pain, a sound, a smell, anything. He lay there as he felt his body had nothing left to give. He wasn't dead, he knew that much. The vague, high pitched shouting served as evidence that the exam was over, it was probably Present Mic announcing that very fact.

He felt the sunlight hit his back. Exhaustion flooded his body as he laid against the cool earth. Then he felt his body being shifted to face the sky but he couldn't make anything out. Just murmurs in a white-void, and a single pink smudge in the distance.

'_Did... did I do it? Is everyone safe?_' Before long things began to fade into darkness, and he felt his eyes close.

Haruki Shinkei had passed out from quirk exhaustion, physical exhaustion, and shock.

But he had proven himself.

He'd have his chance to be a hero.

...

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Merry Christmas! I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of Troubled Nerves! Thank you all for checking it out and I hope you come back in the future. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, later!**


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